This blog is devoted to exploring the 'NATURAL BEAUTY OF SRI LANKA. My interests are photography, archaeology and ancient history.
My email address is:-
philipv203@gmail.com
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Monday, March 30, 2009

In 1967 I visited this place in a byway off Buththala in Sri Lanka. This massive Buddha statue made of sandstone was lying on the ground, with the head decapitated. This was the work of people who looked for treasure inside the statue. In the 1980s when I visited this place again the statue had been reinstalled, using mechanical cranes, during the Presidency of Mr.Premadasa. I took these pictures at that time. A few yards opposite this statue there is a very elaborately carved, beautiful image of a Boddhisattwa. This showed the influence of Mahayanism in this area.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The road from Hatton to Nuwara Eliya is not well maintained. There are pot-holes on the road, caused by the transport of construction material to the Upper Kothmale dam. The view over the valley is breathtaking on this road. The greenery and the two waterfalls, the Devon and St Clairs on this road add to the enchantment. This picture was taken by me near the beginning of the road at the Hatton end.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Bathing is an essential ritual daily in Sri Lanka, from ancient times. These twin ponds built around the beginning of the Christian era, in the 'Anuradhapura period' of Ceylon history, are still functional. They are beautifully symmetrical and a pleasure to behold. The work of the ancient stone masons has lasted two millenia.

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Hakgala Gardens lies in the up country of Sri Lanka. It lies just outside Nuwara-Eliya on the road to Welimada. April and August are the times to visit this place when the flower beds are in full bloom. It is relatively cold and mists cover this area very often.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The 'Dehena Ella' waterfall is on the Rathnapura - Wewalwaththe road. It is just by the roadside and there is a parking bay opposite it. It is a nice place to have a bath and lunch. The drive from Rathnapura goes through some beautiful countryside and takes about an hour on a winding road.

Trees of various shapes, adorn the Peradeniya Campus. These are an ornament to the University. Peace and tranquility are provided by these trees. What a place to shed all your cares and worries! And when these trees are in bloom, the campus is a riot of colour, emerging from the morning mist.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Parents in present day Sri Lanka are a very pushy lot. They want their children to excel. They are sent to the 'play-school' when they are 4 years old. They learn to socialise, learn nursery rhymes, to produce various art objects and generally enjoy themselves. The classes start at 8.30am and are over at 11.30am, five days a week. At the end of the year, they perform at a concert. Here you see a scene from a 'pot dance' which they performed.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Sir Ivor Jennings, took a lot of effort in designing the campus of the Peradeniya University, Ceylon, in the early 1950s. His concept was 'an Oxford University, on the banks of the Mahawely Ganga'. It was a beautiful site and the aesthetics of the choice, was superb. There were large lawns, foot-paths and nooks where romance could blossom. You see a wooden bridge across a stream in the campus in this photograph.

Monday, March 2, 2009

On the old main trunk road to Amparai the eastern part of the Island of Sri Lanka, from Colombo its western part, you have to go through part of the central highlands. It is beautiful country here with hills, valleys and quite a few waterfalls by the wayside. This is a photo of one of those waterfalls, near a village called Lemastota on this road. It is a good place to have a bath and picnic.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

When the rainy season starts in Sri Lanka, you find plenty of small waterfalls by the side of the road. I took this picture on the Hatton - Nuwara Eliya road, in November 2007. Passers by often stop at these beautiful spots, to have a leisurely bath in the ice-cold water, followed by a lunch partaken on the side of the road, from their parked vehicles.